Semur: The Sweet Soy Braise
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The working recipe — the Market List, the Method, and where it lives or dies
I
Origin
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II
Description
Semur — from the Portuguese *cimor* or the Dutch *smoor* (to stew) — is one of the clearest colonial-origin preparations in Indonesian cooking. The technique: protein (usually beef) braised in a sweet, dark sauce dominated by kecap manis, nutmeg, and clove. The Portuguese and Dutch both brought stewing traditions; the Indonesians added kecap manis and nutmeg and created something entirely new.
III
The Thread
—Filipino adobo (same sweet-soy-vinegar braise — vinegar provides the acid that semur lacks), Japanese nikujaga (same sweet soy sauce beef-potato stew — dashi replaces the spice base), Dutch stoofvlees
IV
Flavour Context
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Pillars V — VII
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